


Suite

by clearly_antisocial



Series: Suite [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Classical Music, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Music, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Non-Canon Relationship, Piano, Tobio Plays The Piano, im writing this instead of doing my homework, ladies i'm sorry this is rlly bad, like i said i'm undecided, oikage, oikawa is whipped but he doesn't know it, please go easy on me, soft, that's it that's the whole plot, to be completely refurbished, we going full leather interior on this one babey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2020-09-23 22:17:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20347681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearly_antisocial/pseuds/clearly_antisocial
Summary: Shocking realizations come in many forms. Some are subtle, some are not. He can't tell if this one is or isn't.-(Currently being re-written: latest re-written chapter — 2 ["Prelude"])





	1. Warm-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> currently the only chapter "rewritten" even though this is just like a new prologue, i'm unsure if i'll keep the old chapters up and delete them as i go or go full wipe and get rid of all of them at once.

There was a warm-up of sorts to Tooru meeting Tobio. He truthfully didn’t remember it well and often seemed to be lost through years of fog. The type of memory that exists in blurred lines and dappled colors, sharpening and coming into focus at insignificant times before once more slipping into a strange, distant image that is hard to visualize. The type of memory that easily sinks back behind the loud colors and vivid sensations of more exciting, more important ones that can be seen in all too clear detail behind his eyes. While not easily forgettable, it remained not so easily memorable.

He did remember vaguely. If he tried, he could transcend back into the experience of his fourteen-year-old self on his first day of the school year. He could feel a smaller, finer boned body butt into his chest. In that moment, he could see the windows in crystalline resolution and the graceful descent of the cherry blossoms before it all went distant.

The only thing he really remembered after that was blue. Pure blue of indescribable quality. After that, the memory became too hard to pull forth.

That meeting would be like a false start. A conductor cueing the orchestra before silencing them with a grand pause would be the best way to describe it.

After that, the music came back in understated fashion. Tobio joined the volleyball club then slowly weaved in and out of Tooru’s attention until there was a sense of dread searing hot on the back of his neck at the mention of his name. Until blaring trumpets and restless percussion resonated in his ears far too loud and far too offensive.

Tooru disliked things easily. He disliked Tobio the easiest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm attempting to do something tonally different with the rewrite since i don't rlly like the vibe of the og. i'm unsure how frequent updates of this will be considering the second part which is still coming out (and might also be rewritten in the future? dunno yet, it seems like a lot of work lol). moreover shit is obviously still going down so who knows ??  
i wrote this in the span of like, two weeks originally i think so obviously it's kind of ass and i don't even want to confront how many times i used "was" in each paragraph. but yes, more effort, more time, hopefully more enjoyable to read lol


	2. Prelude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> interesting finds, though he only noticed one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew, i'm back with the rewrite for this chapter. there aren't a lot of changes plot wise (actually probably not any) but i have to say i like this one a lot more.

“You better be dying,” a gravelly voice grumbled through the receiver.

“Iwa-chan! G’morning! Let’s go to the movies today!” Tooru cheered happily. He noisily sipped his peppermint tea and watched the sun just starting to give the flushing clouds the first rosy-fingered caress of the day.

A small bout of silence passed before Iwaizumi began projecting a threatening aura through his phone, “It’s six in the morning you _jackass_.”

“So crude, why do you always have to be this threatening?”

Tooru found his answer in a dial tone. He huffed and prepared his thumbs to start tapping away at his phone when he got a text.

_Sender: Iwa-chan  
_

_\- If you don’t talk to me for another four hours I’ll go with you._

Tooru grinned.

-

Tooru sat in a small tea shop turned cafe waiting for Iwaizumi to join him. He amused himself by watching a girl scale the wall of her school and other videos on Vine while his fingers picked at the milk bread in front of him. Occasionally he sipped from the large pastel blue mug holding plain green tea with a small shiny film on the surface that indicated slight over-steeping.

The shop presented a cute, grandmotherly aesthetic fitted with flowers, pastel doilies, and an endearing amount of clutter. There were several shelves with books and board games that a triad of middle schoolers monopolized in one corner. A dark upright piano got pushed up against the far wall with a small myriad of ceramic trinkets. Objects sat upon the dusty doily-ed lid including but not limited to a decorated elephant; a boy and a girl wearing old fashioned European clothes; and a small blue, white, and yellow volleyball. A cat clock hung over it, the eyes looked to and fro with the tail swinging rhythmically and its belly showed him a two-minute slow face.

Tooru felt at ease in the relaxing setting. Most things fell into the background of his focus save for the young girl who occasionally stopped by his table to shyly ask if he needed more tea.

He felt good. It was a pleasant start to his Saturday afternoon, a rare one he got off with his coach on a trip and assistant coach unavailable for family reasons. He would complain about not being able to practice later when Iwaizumi came around just to annoy his friend but he didn’t feel all that peeved.

Right. Only peace to be felt inside a cute, cottage-y cafe owned by a kind grandmother.

“Hello Kageyama-kun, you’re here early today,” the old woman greeted pleasantly.

Tooru’s face twisted into a scowl. His head shot up and he discretely twisted around the booth to see if this Kageyama-kun bore resemblance to a certain Kageyama he knew.

There in a soft-looking sweater and awkwardly brushing his fluffy black hair behind his ear stood Kageyama Tobio who dipped his head politely with a slow blink. He shrugged and tucked a blue-covered book more securely into the crook of his arm, “Basketball play-offs are tomorrow so they’re using our gym for extra practice.”

“Ah, I see. I’m glad you at least have more time with us today,” the woman smiled.

The shy girl awkwardly waiting tables brightened considerably. The nervous furrow of her brows disappeared with the large, outspoken grin that took over her features as she hurried over, “Tobio-san! You’re here!”

“A-Ah, hi Yumi-san,” Tobio stumbled over his words at the sudden greeting and Tooru watched him lean away the tiniest bit.

The girl wrung her hands on her apron and she bounced on her feet, black pigtails bobbed with the movement, “No ‘san’! I’ve told you before it’s Yumi, Yu-mi!”

“S-Sorry, Yumi,” Tobio confirmed with a surly nod of his head.

Tooru quietly snorted to himself at how awkward Tobio came off. No matter how confident and domineering he presented himself on the court, he always managed to bumble his way through everything else.

The woman had a similar reaction. She smiled gently and patted his shoulder, “You don’t need to be so stiff, Kageyama-kun. We’ve known you long enough. Anyways, we moved the piano so you’re not cramped by the counter anymore. You should have more space over by the wall, but let me know if you need more.”

“Thanks,” Tobio nodded and he walked around the counter to the piano.

Tooru watched calculatingly. He used to play the piano for several years before he stopped at the beginning of his second year of middle school. His mother and father encouraged him to play but eventually gave up when he neglected music in favor of volleyball. His sister played too, but she also gave up upon starting middle school because she didn’t have a musical bone in her body. Tooru knew he hadn’t been particularly talented at it. Decent, but nothing notable.

He remembered a vague overheard conversation where Tobio mentioned he played the piano back in middle school, but he cared less at that time when anything Tobio-related made his skin itch with envy.

Tobio sat down at the piano and opened the blue book to a page that Tooru couldn’t see from his position. But with the amount of black printed out, he guessed it was a rather difficult piece. Yumi tailed Tobio and plopped down on the bench next to him. Tobio’s shoulders tensed and he leaned away from her but deigned to move and lose his ideal position on the bench.

Tooru cupped his chin in his hand as he observed the awkward shifting, the barest hints of an amused smile pulled at his mouth.

A small cracking bit through the quiet air only otherwise filled with mindless chatter from the middle schoolers. Tobio flexed his fingers and then began running through scales.

He completed his circle of fifths with rather impressive speed and accuracy, little crescendos and diminuendos to embellish the otherwise mindless warm up. A couple of minutes of arpeggios and simple trilling to get his fingers loose passed.

Tooru watched closely, ready to jump on something to tease the other boy about.

Finally, Tobio seemed warmed up enough and he looked ready to play the song he picked out in the book when the girl spoke up.

“Can you play _Le Festin_?”

Tobio stopped and turned to her, a small pout that Tooru refused to find cute pushed his lips and furrowed his brows. “Uhm…”

“Please? I really wanna hear it!” Yumi insisted as she pulled a will breaking puppy dog look.

“... Sure…” Tobio muttered and he tapped on the keys a couple of times until he found his starting position.

He sounded good. Really good. Tooru wrinkled his nose at the fact that Tobio might be some sort of genius at the piano too. Just like his setting, he sounded precise with quick, effortless movements. The room lit up with a weightless, bubbly color that seemed so uncharacteristic of Tobio. Tall, dark, brooding Tobio who seemed to glare at everything in sight.

Though, Tooru noticed that Tobio didn’t seem all that dark or brooding at the moment. His shoulders seemed at ease and any movement he did produce seemed loose. Completely unlike how horribly he clammed up when he had to engage in a social situation or how arrogantly proud he stood on the court. This Tobio seemed almost… soft.

Tobio finished and neatly placed his hands in his lap in a way that could only be described as trained.

“Play it again?” Yumi asked hopefully.

“I have to practice this,” Tobio said, pointing at the book still open on the music rack.

Yumi frowned and looked at the book, “This one looks really hard.”

“It is,” Tobio answered plainly. He shifted again when she leaned into his space to inspect the music.

“Yuyu,” the woman called from the counter. “Come help me with this.”

“Yes grandma,” Yumi replied, slight disappointment evident in her voice.

Tooru watched Tobio relax when Yumi walked away and he began idly practicing some passage with his left hand. It sounded nice but it was obviously being taken under tempo and there was a methodical approach to the way Tobio worked his fingers across the keys.

Boredom grew on Tooru and he decided it was the perfect time to strike.

He stood up and walked over to Tobio and leaned over him to read the page. It looked straightforward but the number of bars connecting the notes intimidated him. The fact that Tobio could comprehend the muddled notes mildly surprised Tooru, not that he would ever admit it. The title read _Etude A-flat major Op. 25 No. 1_.

Tobio, completely oblivious as always, didn’t notice him until Tooru made a sharp hum right next to his ear.

“Would you look at that, little Tobio-chan is a genius at the piano too.”

Tobio jolted hard enough to wack his elbow against the piano with painful force. He gripped it and turned around to pout at Tooru who laughed at his misfortune.

“Oikawa-san,” Tobio said through gritted teeth. He wrinkled his nose and held his elbow closer to his person defensively. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re so rude that you can’t even greet me properly,” Tooru bemoaned with a dramatic plop into the chair next to the piano.

Tobio simply glared and Tooru grinned teasingly, “That’s really not cute behavior at all. I remember when you used to follow me around saying ‘Oikawa-senpai, how was your day?’ I miss that Tobio-chan. He was much cuter.”

“No, you don’t,” Tobio scowled. He pushed his hair back behind his ear in an almost cute manner, “You aren’t my senpai anymore, you’re just an ass.”

“Wah?! You’re _so_ rude,” Tooru sniffed. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, “I did compliment you, you know. You could at least thank me.”

“I don’t think anything from you can count as a genuine compliment,” Tobio protested and lifted his nose a bit. The pouting negated any defiant effect the action might have had.

Tooru stared. Tobio slumped a bit and looked away, “... Thanks…”

How stupidly obedient. Tooru laughed in his face for his troubles while Tobio continued to pointedly avoid eye contact.

“You’re playing is pretty impressive, when did you start?” Tooru asked as he plucked the book off the rack and began flipping through it. All the pages were marked with multicolored pencils in rather atrocious handwriting that looked like he aggressively dragged the lead across the page.

“... I was two…” Tobio said with a suspicious squint that emphasized the size of his eyes.

Tooru squinted back, “What’s with that look?”

“It’s weird when you’re not insulting me,” Tobio stated.

A charmingly fake smile passed over his features, “Shall I go back to insulting you then since you enjoy it so much?”

“I don’t enjoy it.”

“Then enjoy my compliment.”

“I don’t enjoy that either, I don’t enjoy _you_,” Tobio said with earnest emphasis that irked Tooru.

“Don’t get cheeky, dear Tobio-chan.”

“Oi, Kusokawa, stop being a jerk.”

Tooru spluttered and looked up with a huff, “Iwa-chan! You’re so mean!”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and snatched the book out of Tooru’s hands to give it back to Tobio, “Sorry about him. You know how he is.”

“I know,” Tobio said regretfully. He gingerly took back the book as if it were delicate, “Thank you.”

Iwaizumi then pinned Tooru with a glare and jutted his head in the direction of the exit before he could say anything. Tooru frowned, “Mean.”

He stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his pants. He grinned at Tobio again who clutched the book protectively to his chest like a child would a stuffed animal. Tooru oddly felt like squeezing something, preferably Tobio, and holding it tight for a moment. How disgusting. He squashed the feeling by flicking the boy’s forehead and offering the victory sign, “See ya later, Tobio-chan! Maybe you won’t be as rude next time!”

Tobio glared and said nothing.

“Bye Kageyama,” Iwaizumi said plainly.

“Goodbye Iwaizumi-san,” Tobio murmured with a polite nod.

“Look, you’re so rude that you— Ow! Why did you hit me!”

“You’re causing a scene.”

“If anyone’s causing a scene it’s you because you’re a brute—”

“Shut up already,” Iwaizumi grumbled as he hauled Tooru out of the shop by the scruff of his flannel.

Before they left, Tooru caught the sight of a small smile and the barest hint of a scrunch on the outer corners of Tobio’s eyes.

Huh. He looked kinda cute like that.

Tooru immediately made a face and gagged.

Iwaizumi smacked his arm, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *important question* would you guys rather see a full wipe of the story where i update it like i would a normal fic or would you like me to keep the story as-is and just delete chapters one at a time _or_ would you like me to post the original fic separately and continue to update the rewrite ? or vice versa where i reupload the og first chapter and start a separate story that would be titled a rewrite ? ultimately i want to delete the original work but if you have a different preference lmk, i'm not really set on anything yet !  
-  
i'm finding it a bit hard to go back to writing a 15 year old kageyama and an 18 year old oikawa. i feel like i got into the groove of writing them as slightly more mature adults and now it's hard to readjust. i think that oikawa comes more mature in this chapter than in the original but that also might just be my writing style, a year changes a lot !  
the biggest change plot point wise is that i now have kageyama playing at a henle grade 7/8-ish instead of a grade 9 because i thought that was a little unrealistic. i mean, this is a fanfiction and i'm not actually trying to go the route of "musical prodigy" kageyama but more like "wow this guy has been playing dedicatedly for a pretty long time". which isn't to say he couldn't reach a grade 9 but he's 15 so i think it's safer to say he would reach a grade 9 more toward the end of his high school career. not that it's a really big deal and it's really just classical musician discourse, i digress <3.  
peep everyone who knows abt the famous blue books lol, i've never owned one but i would absolutely love to. i can dream <3


	3. Transition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru realizes some things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

3\. Transition (n): a passage of music composed to link one section to another.

-

  
The break up was far from unexpected. In fact, Tooru had been considering breaking it off for a solid month before it was ultimately her that dumped him. Which he was pettily peeved about but Iwaizumi told him he was a jerk and should have done it earlier if he was gonna complain about it. Overall, he wasn’t caught up on it. Fuyu had been a nice girl but they obviously had very little in common aside from the fact they were both attractive and in the same class. Honestly, the only thing he really missed was having something to do when volleyball wasn’t an option and neither was homework.

So here he was walking his nephew home after practice and being stuck babysitting him instead of actually being entertained.

“Tooru! Show me how to serve!” Takeru said as they were leaving. Brat.

“Hmph! Why don’t you show me some respect first?” he shot back.

“O-Oikawa-san!”

Tooru looked up and saw Tobio standing there holding the strap of his book bag and looking panicked. What god did he piss off today? Tooru lifted his head and cocked his hip out as he studied the thin boy in front of him. Shoulders drawn up and looking ready to bolt. His eyes slid over to the bandage and the nasty looking bruise marring the younger boy’s tanned cheek. And what happened to Tobio? As awkward as the boy was, he usually wasn’t this jumpy. Didn’t he have practice today too? It wasn’t like Tobio to skip out on volleyball. Tooru distinctly remembered the boy literally passing out in a practice during junior high he was so sick but he’d still showed up.

“O-Oikawa-san, what are you doing here?” he asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“I’m watching my nephew.” he answered coolly.

“Hey!” Takeru said, waving to the other boy.

Tobio jumped at his enthusiasm and pushed his hair behind his ear, “H-Hey… uh, what about club?”

“We usually have Mondays off.”

“Y-You take a day off during the week? That’s such a waste!”

Tooru raised an eyebrow before he started walking again, “Resting and skipping are two different things.” The boy looked embarrassed. Huh, so he’d skipped. That probably had something to do with the ugly bruise on his face.

“O-Oikawa-san, uhm…” Tobio started.

“Nope! Stupid!” he said, pulling a face while Takeru stared unimpressed, “You’re stupid! You stupid face!”

“I haven’t even said anything yet!” Tobio puffed his cheeks and furrowed his brows with a frustrated flush on his cheeks, “Oikawa-san--”

“Nope! Can’t hear you! Can’t hear a thing!”

Tobio then bowed deeply, showing his back fully. It was practically a koutou at this point. Tooru stopped in surprise and Takeru looked confused. Tobio clenched his fists, “Please listen to me for a second!”

Tooru scrunched his nose and straightened, “Why should I have to listen to what my opponent has to say?” He turned around and began walking with Takeru.

“Please, Oikawa-san!” the black haired boy pleaded, “Please! Please!”

Suddenly, Tobio ran in front of them, somehow still in a bow. He jumped back while Takeru looked concerned. Tooru gaped in shock before pursing his lips while he looked down at his old kouhai. If he wanted to, Tooru was sure he could just leave and that Tobio would give up on embarrassing himself for the sake of the older’s advice. But, this was a golden opportunity.

“Takeru.”

“What?”

“Take a picture.”

Tobio looked up in confusion before Tooru stopped him and pushed his head back down, “Don’t move Tobio.”

He walked over and posed, the other third years would get a kick out of this. “Yay! I’ll call this, ‘Tobio is No Match for Oikawa-san’!”

Takeru took the picture and looked at it, “Tooru, you’re actually happy about this picture? Lame.”

“Geh!” Tooru sputtered before sighing and turning back to Tobio who’s back must have been hurting by then, “Well, what do you want? I’m busy you know.”

“Nuh-uh.” Takeru interjected, “You said your girlfriend dumped you, so you had free time!”

“Takeru! Shut up!” he said childishly. This brat spent too much time with his sister.

“What? But when you came, you said you didn’t know what you did wrong…”

“I did not! And I said, ‘Shut up’! I’ll tell nee-chan you were being a brat!”

That effectively caused Takeru to shut up. Both of them knew the wrath that woman could cause.

“So uh…” Tobio started, face pulling into a pout at being put off, “what if you were close to a tournament, and, uh… and Iwaizumi-san said he was going to try some impossible attack…”

“Wait.” Tooru said, “If you want to talk to me about something, quit with the lame ‘what if’ story and just tell me flat out.” He put his hand on his hip and looked at the boy expectantly.

Tobio deflated slightly and hunched over, “Hinata said he wants to hit our quick with his own will. But he’s been closing his eyes this whole time.”

“Oh, really? That’d be pretty impressive if he could do it. Why not let him?”

He pulled his shoulders up and clenched his fists, “Please don’t make it sound so easy! Hinata doesn’t have any technique!”

Bingo. Tooru smirked, “So you told him, ‘Just do as I say’? That sounds pretty tyrannical to me.”

Tobio tensed and his eyes went even wider, the tendons in his neck becoming more apparent as he took in a sharp breath. Tooru raised an eyebrow, “Have you put any thought into it? Are you giving Chibi-chan the exact tosses he wants? Have you even tried to?”

The boy hung his head in shame, dark hair falling to cover his eyes. Tooru lifted a finger to point accusingly, “If you’re thinking the situation’s the best it can be and you’re getting defensive over it, you’re basically a coward.” Tobio puffed his cheeks at the insult but continued to listen, “Don’t get it wrong. The one who has leadership in an attack isn’t you, it’s Chibi-chan. If you can’t get that, you’re just regressing back to being that tyrant king. Let’s go, Takeru.”

He walked away and his nephew trailed after while Tobio stood there in contemplation.

As they walked home, Tooru hummed with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Are you in a good mood, Tooru?” Takeru asked, handing the phone over.

“I’m happy that Tobio’s more upset than I thought he was.” he opened his phone and scrolled through his gallery, “Eh?! I’m so blurry! You’re horrible at taking pictures, you’re lucky I’m good at editing them.”

Takeru snickered before an impish smile grew, “Are you sure you’re just not happy that you saw him?”

Tooru raised an eyebrow and looked down at him, “What’s that mean?”

“You like him!” Takeru announced, proud of his observation.

“Huh?! Where’d you get that idea?”

Takeru laced his hands behind his head and closed his eyes with his nose lifted up in satisfaction, “You totally do. I bet you were thinking ‘he’s so cute’! Like you did with Fuyu-san.”

This boy was too smart for his own good. But that would be implying he was right. Which he most definitely was not, “You’re wrong. I would never in my life like Tobio. He’s gross.”

“You like him, you like him~! You really, really like him~!” Takeru sang. Happy at the new found dirt he had on his uncle, “We should go find him and tell him.”

“You little brat I don’t like him!” Tooru objected.

He dropped the boy off with his brother in law and promptly left. He’d had enough of the little shit for one day. As usual, as with any slight inconvenience occurred, Tooru ended up in Iwaizumi’s bedroom complaining while they did calculus homework.

“And then he said ‘you like him’! Can you believe that? Do you know how ridiculous that is?” he huffed out while Iwaizumi scratched out the wrong answer for the second time, “You’re simplifying not solving it. You can’t solve it if you aren’t given theta for that equation. Anyways, I hate Takeru. He spends too much time with my sister.”

“She’s his mom of course he spends a lot of time with her.” Iwaizumi said.

“That’s beside the point. He said I like Tobio. I hate that. He’s like, my archnemesis.”

Iwaizumi paused as he checked over the equation before continuing, “You’re a dumbass.”

“Excuse me? I just told you what to do with your homework--”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Well then what do you mean?”

“Look Tooru,” the boy said putting his papers down, “Literally any time you run into Kageyama you talk about him for weeks after. And it’s not all about how irritating or rude he is. Most of it is about how cute or talented or awkward or adorable he is. Even when you were dating Fuyu-san, you would talk to her about how cute Kageyama was or how soft he looks while he plays the piano. I hate to break it to you, but you’ve had the biggest crush on him since he graduated junior high but you’re so oblivious to it. Thus, you are a dumbass.”

Tooru stared at his best friend with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, “Now can you please shut up now so we can get back to work.”

“Eh?! You can’t just drop a bomb like that on me and expect me to go back to doing homework right after! What do you mean I like Tobio?! Yeah he’s cute and pretty and adorable and oh.” Tooru stopped and slumped, “Oh my god I like him.”

“That’s what I just said. Now tell me what derivatives and integrals are again.”

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No music was used this time but if you were looking for something to listen to I recommend Ravel's jeux d'eau.


	4. Warm-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru is both an asshole and not an asshole, it really depends on the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided where I wanna go with this story and as of now I have seven chapters planned for you guys. Also thank you so much for all your support it was honestly insane to see how many of you like it! Everyone who commented and gave kudos really motivated me to continue with this so thank you I'm so grateful :))) I'll try and respond to all the comments so if you have anything you want to ask me you can go ahead and do so. Again, thank you so much for all the support! Please enjoy!!!

2\. Etude (n): a composition built on a technical motive but played for its artistic value.

-

  
The next time Tooru met Tobio, it was on the volleyball court. For both their teams, it was just any other quarter-final match. But to the two starting setters, it was so much more. This wasn’t only a match against another team, it was a match against each other. This would decide who the better setter was. The genius first year that booted his senpai from the starting line or the finely honed third year who’d spent the past six years trying to fake that genius.

It was a long match and predictably, Tooru came out on top. After all, it’s incredibly hard to beat down an old habit in a mere two months. Though, he could see that Tobio had definitely changed by leaps and bounds within the past seven weeks. It was honestly terrifying to think what he could be like by the next time they met on the court because god knows they would. That match will be even more of a challenge than this one.

For now though, Tooru and his ego can rest assured that yes he is the better setter at the moment.

His glory moment is short lived because the next day that other genius kicked his team’s ass and Tooru wanted nothing more than to serve a volleyball into that brute Ushiwaka’s stoic face. The rest of the week passed and then the weekend came. Volleyball practice went as it usually did after being defeated by Shiratorizawa. Everyone was taking their frustrations out and stayed late until Nobuteru-sensei forcibly kicked them out of the gym and told them to come back tomorrow.

Tooru had just finished his after-practice shower and pulled on a sweatshirt with a small embroidered logo patch over the heart and a pair of jeans. While he was tying his shoes, Iwaizumi came over, “You going straight home?”

He shook his head, “No, I’m gonna go buy some milk bread.”

“Okay, I’ve gotta get straight home so I’ll just go out first.”

Tooru stood up and grabbed his bag, “I’ll walk out with you.”

They walked out in silence. They were both tired and they both already knew exactly what was on the other’s mind. It just worked that way when they’ve been best friends their whole lives. They got to the front of the school and suddenly Tooru was met with a hard punch to his bicep, “Hey! What was--!”

“Don’t be so down. We can still play so we don’t have to be so upset.” Iwaizumi said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as if he just hadn’t just landed a hard punch on his best friend.

Tooru closed his mouth and was silent for a second before he grinned, “Awh, you’re worried about me Iwa-chan? How sweet! I knew you loved me.”

Iwaizumi scowled, “Tch, that smile is so disgusting.”

“Excuse me? My smile is anything but disgusting.”

“Ugly then?”

“That’s just mean!” Tooru huffed childishly.

“See ya.” Iwaizumi said, turning away.

“You’re gonna walk away without apologizing? You have no manners! No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend!” the setter called out and was only met by an offensive finger. He blew a loud raspberry in response and turned in his own direction.

Tooru wandered around for a bit, trying to decide where he should by his milk bread. Somehow, he ended up at that cafe that he’d met Tobio in some weeks ago. It probably had something to do with the fact that it was cheap there and maybe also because he hoped to see someone but he wasn’t going to acknowledge that. There weren’t many customers, in fact when he walked in, the only other one walked out. The reason no one was there was obvious once Tooru heard the angry, torrential music coming from a boy with inky black hair.

Tobio was at the piano again, though he hardly looked relaxed this time. His back was so straight and tense that Tooru wondered if the boy’s muscles were cramping underneath the white dress shirt. The younger boy was all but slamming his fingers into the keys with quick, messy execution. It was still extremely good, but the overwhelming frustration and exaggerated fortissimos in the piece made it almost unenjoyable. Honestly, had Tooru been the one who owned the shop he would have told the boy to stop playing since it was scaring away the customers.

Strangely, he found himself not enjoying seeing how deeply affected the other boy was. The song was filled with such frustration that it brought out Tooru’s own feelings of anger towards that musclehead that had beat him. He shook himself and turned to the counter.

“Hello, what can I get for you tonight?” the old woman asked.

“One milk bread please.” he answered. Tooru looked back at the boy at the piano, “And a glass of milk.”

The woman held a knowing look on her wrinkled face, “You know him?”

“Kind of.” he answered with a noncommittal shrug.

She breathed out a chuckle and nodded, “Sure.”

“How much is it?” he prompted, feeling uncomfortable about discussing his quite unfriendly relationship with Tobio.

She shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. Just try to cheer him up a little.”

Tooru was about to sputter when the woman turned around to fetch his order. He sighed and looked back to Tobio. He’d moved onto another song that was just as frantic as the last. Soon, the woman returned with a glass of milk and a plate with milk bread on it. Tooru thanked her (he has manners you know, unlike some people) and walked over to the seat against the wall.

When Tobio saw who had sat next to him his fingers immediately stopped and his shoulders bowed as if they were being pulled taut by a string getting ready to launch an arrow. The glare sent Tooru’s way was down right nasty, “What are you doing here Oikawa-san?”

“I came here for milk bread and found you here.” he answered and held the glass of milk out to Tobio who’s glare was now mixed with a look of confusion. Tooru soon grew impatient, “Are you going to take the milk or are you going to make me hold it out to you for the whole night?”

The boy wrinkled his nose but obediently took the glass and begrudgingly muttered out a ‘thanks’. Tooru pulled a piece off of his pastry and popped it into his mouth. An awkward silence was already settling between then. God, why did he decide to do this? He didn’t even have anything useful to say to the boy. Tooru settled on being an asshole because that’s what he knew best, “So, Tobio-chan, anything interesting happen this week aside from me defeating you?”

Tobio scowled and glared again, though the effect was ruined by him awkwardly crossing his legs, hunching over, and tucking hair behind his ear. If anything he looked like a child trying to keep his drink away from someone. Endearing, but annoying. He mumbled something but Tooru couldn’t hear it over the rim of his milk glass.

“Huh? I can’t hear you if you speak that quietly.”

“I said my team got invited to Tokyo for a training camp.” Tobio said, only slightly louder but now audible.

Tooru raised an eyebrow, “Really? Even though you guys lost? Who are you guys playing with?”

“You lost too.” Tobio said with a sniff.

At that, Tooru felt his face instantly pull into a sneer, “But you lost first didn’t you? If I got defeated by Shiratorizawa and I defeated you that means you got beat twice.”

“You’re such an asshole I hate you.” was Tobio’s quick response.

“And you’re so vulgar. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Tooru shot right back.

Tobio shifted and actually looked guilty at that comment. If Tooru remembered correctly, the younger setter had been a bit of a momma’s boy. That was a funny thought. Angry, scary, and rude Tobio loved his mom just like he loved volleyball.

“We’re going to play with Nekoma and Pukurudani or something.” the boy mumbled out, trying to change the subject. The words were followed up with a dainty sip of his beverage. He was like a cat, angry and independent but also dainty and cu-- he was gonna stop his brain right there. Instead, he’d go along with the subject change.

“You mean Fukurodani?” Tooru asked in disbelief, “Their ace is in the top five in the country. And their setter is supposed to be really good! That’s not fair, you’re such a lucky little brat.”

Tobio sniffed, “I’m not a brat.”

“You are.”

The boy pouted and the tops of his cheeks colored as he took another sip and muttered out, “No I’m not.”

A voice in the back of Tooru’s head pointed out the sight was extremely adorable and the rest of his brain quickly squashed any further disgusting thoughts. He picked off more of his bread and focused on the mediocre flavor of the treat to try and distract himself, “You can improve a lot if you do a good job there.”

Tobio apparently had nothing to say to that and another silence began to settle between them. This really was awkward. Why did this idiot have to be the most socially stunted person ever? Tooru quickly finished his milk bread as Tobio sipped his drink and idly tinkered around with simple melodies on the keys. The brunet thought for a moment before resigning to the thought that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be a little encouraging.

“You’ve come a long way Tobio-chan. Just wait a little longer and you’ll get to where you need to go.”

The boy looked up with big velvet blue eyes. Wow, were his eyelashes always that long and thick? Tooru quickly forced his mind somewhere else and stood up, “Don’t get it twisted though, I’m still better than you.”

He looked back down at the boy and his heart started beating rhythmically at the sight of Tobio trying his best to keep in a grin and his eyes now sparkling like a galaxy. His shoulders were pulled up as he swelled with emotion. Abruptly, Tobio stood up, his knee clattering against the piano bench, and bowed.

“Thank you!”

Tooru almost choked at how sudden and sincere the gesture was before he flicked the younger boy on the forehead when he stood up and lifted his chin in a pompous way that Iwaizumi would scold him for, “Hmph. Of course, I’m a wonderful senpai after all.”

Before Tobio could say anything to dissuade the fact he walked out with a fake grin, “Bye Tobio-chan! Don’t get too good in Tokyo, I wanna see your losing face again!”

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1st song: Suggestion Diabolique by Prokofiev (I suggest the one by Sviatoslav Richter)  
2nd song: Allegro Barbaro by Bartok


	5. Chamber Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru let's go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really short but I still hope you like it a little? I'm honestly not that happy with the way things are turning out for this story and I'm sorry that it started off on a good note but now it's not as good ig :/// I promise the following chapters will be better!

4.Chamber Music (n): Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments.

-

Going against Tobio for a second time was both everything and nothing like Tooru thought it would be. It was thrilling and filled with desperation but also frustrating and in the end disappointing. His advice had somehow been used to make that freak quick even freakier. Tobio was more of a team player than ever before. His tosses were sharper, more accommodating, and just better if even possible.

Tooru felt jealousy bubbling, inky and thick as it moved through his veins. The most frustrating part was that if he had saved the ball they could have gone another rally. But he didn’t. His high school volleyball career was over. He’d already been scouted for some big university in Tokyo and the national team would have been a fool to not have their sights set on him playing for them in a couple years. But that was later, this was now.

He’d never get to defeat Ushijima on Shiratorizawa, never see nationals with the team he had now, with his best friend. Iwaizumi didn’t have any plans for going pro. Hanamaki and Matsukawa didn’t either.

Had both teams been an ensemble, Seijoh would have been moving in synchronicity. Karasuno would have all been moving all separately but still together. Had they been musicians, Seijoh would have won, _he_ would have won. But they weren’t, they were volleyball players. Tobio was the only musician as far as he knew and he played the piano, a solo instrument. But unlike before, he wasn’t a solo-player. He was apart of the team. So it was Karasuno that won, it was Tobio.

At the same time, Tooru couldn't find it in himself to truly hate Tobio this time. God, this crush was really fucking with him.

Tooru pulled himself out of his reverie and smacked Iwaizumi out of his. He called his team over to thank the students that came to support them and then they were off. Ironically, it’s Ushijima of all people that he ran into afterwards. Equal in irony, it’s also Ushijima that is able to give him his epiphany.

“This is a warning, Oikawa-san,” the musclehead started, “Don’t choose the wrong path again. You chose the wrong path. There was a place where you could have realized your true potential. Because of your worthless pride, you didn’t choose it.”

God this guy was so irritating. Tooru shrugged, “So you’re trying to tell me that I should have gone to Shiratorizawa instead of Seijoh, huh? No team is guaranteed victory.”

“If nothing else, I can say… that my team is the strongest one here.” What the actual fuck, his social skills were even worse than Tobio’s.

Tooru blinked. “Wow, I see you’re still laughably confident!” he closed his eyes to try and find the right words, “Huh, worthless pride? That’s true… Listen up Ushijima, I never thought my decision was wrong, and my volleyball hasn’t ended at all. Don’t you ever forget my worthless pride.” Then, the image of a pretty tanned face with determination brewing in velveteen eyes fixed itself into Tooru’s mind. The persistence, the practice, the love that Tobio had put into volleyball. He could see it now. He had seen it when the younger boy had asked for advice, “You know, if you keep all of your attention on me, you’re going to get stabbed from the direction you least expect.”

Ushijima’s brows pinched in confusion, similar to how Tobio’s would (though obviously it was far from being as cute), “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My kouhai… he isn’t smart, and isn’t even close to my level yet… But now that he’s not by himself, he’s strong.” he turned and started walking, “When crows flock, they might even kill a huge, white eagle.”

On the bus ride home, Tooru stared out the window. He thought about Tobio. Yes, Tobio was a genius who could set like no other player but that didn’t mean he was any more valuable in the sport. Slowly but surely, the viscous jealousy dissipated. As they walked home Iwaizumi looked over at him.

“You seem weird.”

Tooru wrinkled his nose, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Iwaizumi pursed his lips, “You’re just weird. Did anything happen?”

A pleased hum escaped his throat and Tooru laced his hands behind his head, “Yeah, I guess something did.”

“Are you going to share or are you just gonna continue being creepy?”

Tooru rolled his eyes, “It’s not creepy. Anyways, after the match I ran into Ushijima he said I should have gone to Shiratorizawa. But… I just thought about Tobio, and how much he’s grown. I guess it makes me really happy.”

Iwaizumi gave him a hard stare, “Who are you? Why are you a nice person right now? Go back to being an asshole this is creepy.”

“Fine then, I refuse to go to the match tomorrow because I'll be upset no matter which side wins. How's that?" he asked sarcastically.

Iwaizumi huffed out a laugh, "Yeah, that sounds like you."

That night, Tooru was sitting in his bed when he made the sporadic decision to ask Kunimi if he still had Tobio’s number. Without question, Kunimi replied back with a series of numbers. Tooru quickly inputted them into his phone before opening up a new text.

_ Me _

_You did good today_

_Beat Ushijima’s ass for me tomorrow - Oikawa_

Several minutes later, he received a text back.

_ Tobio _

_i will_

_and thx_

_uhm_

_will you watch tomorrow??_

Tooru smiled, he was so cute.

_ Me _

_I have class tomorrow_

_ Tobio _

_o ok srry nvm_

He pursed his lips to the side before typing again.

_ Me _

I’ll come if you promise to win

_ Tobio _

_i will_

_ Me _

_Ok then, don’t go back on ur word_

Tooru wasn’t able to keep the dumb smile off his face as he closed his phone and set it down. Damn, when had Tobio started making him so happy?

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No music again but I have another recommendation - Libertango by Astor Piazzolla (played by Khatia and Gvantsa Buniatishvili) and Schubert's Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat Major Op. 90, D. 899


	6. Toccata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tobio is soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the two of them are idiots

5\. Toccata (n) - Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers.

-

Tooru sat high on the bleachers watching the Shiratorizawa vs. Karasuno match. He was leaned forward with his knees pulled to his chest as he took in everything that was happening. Tobio was doing well, even better than he’d done the previous day and he found himself smiling at every point that Tobio got. He was so into the game he hadn’t even noticed Iwaizumi coming up behind him.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming because whoever won would still piss you off.” the other brunet said boredly.

Tooru jumped in surprise and looked up at Iwaizumi before looking back at the game, “Hmph, I wanted to see if Tobio really had the talent to beat Ushiwaka’s ass. Either way one of my enemies will be defeating each other.”

“So you came to support your boyfriend?” Iwaizumi said, hopping over and taking a seat.

Tooru choked, “B-Boyfriend?!”

“Still denying it are we?”

“No.”

“Then you came here to confess your love.”

“No!” Tooru huffed, “I’m just here to watch!”

“So you admit that you’re actually interested in who wins.” Iwaizumi concluded.

Tooru gaped before wrinkling his nose. Despite what everyone seemed to say, Iwaizumi was just as manipulative as him. (Even if his tendencies were mostly directed at Tooru.) Both of them turned their attention back to the game right as Tobio set a quick to the shrimp. Shiratorizawa seemed astonished and part of Tooru swelled with pride as his underclassman showed exactly how good he was. Still not as good as him but impressive nonetheless.

As the game went on, Tooru was able to analyze Tobio more closely without being distracted from his own strategies and taking in everything else on the court. The younger setter always seemed to play with such a graceful elegance. His sets were so controlled and more than once Tooru had seen the boy set the ball with a mere flick of the wrist. His fingers delicately applying the exact amount of force needed to set the ball to where it needed to go.

Watching Tobio play volleyball was like watching him play piano. Diligent fingers snapping perfectly and eliciting the best result at a moments notice. Wrists firm and controlled and in such an optimal form Tooru idly wondered if he could do the same. It was obvious Tobio was different from his time in junior high. Then his sets, while accurate, lacked that refined elegance that had come with more practice. Now Tobio moved as fluid as water around the court and even more so when he was touching the ball. As if the ball were merely an extension of his person able to conform to his every beck and call. Much like the piano which was equally if not more capable of doing exactly what Tobio wanted it to do.

Though that was probably due to the fact that in volleyball the actual scoring part relied on the spiker and not just the setter. With the piano, Tobio was by himself and able to communicate exactly what he wanted with the piano and the piano alone. It was honestly a bit funny that Tobio for all his talent and genius when it came to piano, was brought down by the simple fact he was awkward and lacked basic social skills.

Karasuno managed to scrape by with the fifth and final set. Done so with a surprising block from that lazy blond, the freak duo, and the captain and libero’s solid receives. Tooru looked around the court and saw that Karasuno had started another dogpile while Shiratorizawa looked at an utter loss for words or action. He doubted anyone on that team actually thought they could be defeated. Hell, he wondered if Karasuno even believed they’d win.

“That guy Ushiwaka’s so lame! I came here to see a losing face and he just looks mildly surprised!” Tooru complained after seeing that Ushijima’s face remained as stoic as ever.

“You’re such a crappy guy.” Iwaizumi said as he rolled his eyes.

“No I’m not. I bet you wanted to see Ushiwaka lose just as much as I did.” Tooru said before standing up and pulling his best friend up as well, “Let’s go. I don’t want to watch the awards ceremony.”

“Such a crappy guy.” Iwaizumi repeated but allowed himself to be shoes anyways.

Before they were able to exit the building, Iwaizumi stopped. Tooru turned in confusion, “You’re not gonna go back and watch the awards ceremony are you?”

“No. But you’re gonna talk to Kageyama.” Iwaizumi said as if it were obvious.

Tooru furrowed his brows, “Huh? No I’m not. I’m doing no such thing. I’m supposed to be angry and bitter at his win.”

“Kunimi said you texted him last night, I assume you told Kageyama something along the lines of ‘beat Ushijima for me’ so the least you can do is stay back and congratulate him for it.” the shorter boy said.

“That little-- I’ll have to talk to sleepy-chan about ratting me out like that! God, I can’t trust anyone these days. You’re all turning on me left and right. First Takeru, then you, and now sleepy-chan. Before I know it I’ll be having to fend for myself.” Tooru said dramatically.

Iwaizumi bonked him on the head, “That’s besides the point. We’re graduating soon and you’ll be going to Tokyo. Now’s as good a time as ever to sort everything out.”

Tooru frowned, “I don’t know, that’s kind of--”

“Tooru.” Iwaizumi said, “Just do it for your own sake.”

And so he did. They waited until the awards ceremony was over before Tooru left to find… well, Tobio. He walked around the building for a bit before he eventually caught the boy walking away from a water fountain. He took a deep breath before putting on his signature smile, “Tobio-chan!”

The boy froze and turned, looking like a deer in the headlights before he relaxed a bit and bowed his head respectfully, “Oikawa-san. You wear glasses.”

Wow. “What an obvious thing to point out. Thank you very much I had no idea.” Tooru replied dryly.

Tobio puffed out his cheeks at the sarcasm before brushing his hair out of his eyes and moving onto a different topic, “We won.”

“Tch. What a brat. It’s not cute to go around being so arrogant about your wins.” he said as he leaned his weight on one leg.

Tobio scrunched his nose cutely before shifting his weight from foot to foot, “We did though.”

“You should learn to be modest.” Tooru shot back.

The air between them was filled with silence for a moment before Tooru softened, “You did good today. I’m… I’m proud of you.”

Tobio’s eyes widened into big pools of pure sapphire and Tooru watched as tears welled up. The brunet was at a loss so he drew the younger boy into his arms and tucked Tobio under his chin as he cried into his shirt collar. He gently ran his hands in soothing circles along the boy’s bony back and through his surprisingly silky and soft hair.

“No one’s ever said that to me about volleyball.” Tobio choked out lamely.

Tooru felt surprise at that. He’d never thought about it, but for all the praise the boy received about being a genius behind his back, he probably hadn’t heard that in a way that wasn’t bitter or out of envy. He hugged the boy tighter as they stood there for several minutes that seemed to stretch on for days. Finally, Tobio pulled away and wiped the remaining tears off his face.

How unfair, Tobio was a pretty crier too. Nothing but glassy eyes, spidery lashes, and a delicate flush on his cheeks and nose. No ugly snot trail, no overly puffy eyes, no firetruck red face. Tobio sniffed, “Sorry I cried on your shirt.”

“I guess I can forgive you if you promise to win nationals too.” Tooru said with a soft smile. He found his hand coming to rest on top of the boys head to ruffle his hair. Though the action was meant to be comforting, Tooru privately found that it was also mildly self indulgent and part of him just wanted to touch that ridiculously soft hair again.  
Tobio laughed and his own cotton candy smile pulled at his round cheeks, “I’ll do my best.”

Tooru was, for lack of a better word, awestruck at how ridiculously pretty Tobio looked with a smile instead of the normal resting bitch face (pout?) and felt his heart speed up. He coughed to try and cool his cheeks, “Yeah, of course you will. If you lose I won’t ever forgive you.”

“Then I won’t.” Tobio said with only a level of security and confidence that he would have. That boy really was confident in his volleyball skills, how annoying.

Tooru nodded, “I believe in you.”

“Thank you.” the boy said with another embarrassing bow that had Tooru rolling his eyes.

“You should head back to your team, I’m sure they’ll want to celebrate.”

Tobio blinked before nodding, “Yeah. I uhm…”

“Huh?”

The boy quickly flushed red and shook his head, “Nevermind. Thank you Oikawa-san. I promise I’ll win nationals for you.”

“F-For me?!” Tooru spluttered but the other had already run off. Fluffy black hair bouncing and ears tinged pink. The brunet sighed, “What an idiot.”

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> toccata's are honestly so intense and i wish there was one that fit the mood but there isn't lmao. i still reccommend Khatchaturian's toccata in e-flat minor it's super fun to listen to.


	7. Concerto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru thinks that Tobio might definitely be a tsundere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so like i kinda just flubbed a whole thing abt karasuno winning nationals for the fluff of it. this is the most sugar sweet, cotton candy soft thing i've written yet lol i hope you enjoy :)

6) Concerto (n): a musical composition generally composed of three movements in which a solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra or concert band.

-

With college applications and Tobio preparing for nationals, their chance meetings had ceased. Tooru had honestly barely noticed with the sudden influx of work and exams that were flooding his way in preparation for university after he retired from the club. Especially being in a college preparatory class, he found himself neck deep in work for all his classes that he barely had time for himself and the only time he could hang out with anyone was when he ate lunch with the third years.

Tobio had been at the very back of his mind since volleyball was all but gone from his life for the time being as he focused on school work and getting his grades to be even higher to increase his chances for scholarships. Honestly, it wasn’t until nationals had begun that Tooru was once again paying attention to his cute underclassman. He watched all their matches and idly wished that he could be there to watch them all in person.

One of the most exciting moments had been when Tobio perfected his jump serve literally in the middle of the game. At that moment he really wished he could have been there to cheer on the younger boy for that service ace. Instead he ran a whole extra mile with the sudden boost of adrenaline and forced Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa to watch those five seconds of the match a good twenty times as he rambled about Tobio for the next week.

The next exciting moment was when Karasuno won the finals in a monumental David and Goliath match and Tooru proceeded to obsess over every amazing move that Tobio pulled. He impatiently waited for Tobio to return from Tokyo and the moment he heard from Kyoutani (who had surprisingly struck up an odd friendship with the bald wing spiker from Karasuno) that they were back in Miyagi, he practically leapt out of his desk and went to find Tobio right then. Only to be stopped by Iwaizumi who told him to focus on the physics test they had next period.

The day after, Tooru woke up later than usual from all his energy being sapped into that one exam. He had just gotten dressed in a more productive outfit than sweats and a ridiculously old t-shirt when his doorbell rang. It couldn’t have been Iwaizumi since the spiker had his own key and would just let himself in so Tooru curiously walked over to the door and pulled it open.

There stood Tobio bundled up in a white turtleneck under a blue cable knit sweater and an oversized jacket with dark wash jeans and black boots and were those snap clips in his hair? He’d been in the cold for a while if the ruddy nose and cheeks were anything to go by.

“Tobio-chan, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked with a smile.

The boy opened his mouth and closed it several times as he struggled for words before steeling his nerves and standing up straighter, “We won.”

Tooru breathed a laugh through his nose, “I know.”

“Did… did you watch?” Tobio asked with eager eyes.

“I did.” the older boy confirmed with a nod, “You did good.”

“Do you forgive me?”

Tooru paused and raised an eyebrow. Tobio’s cheeks turned even more red as he looked to the ground, “For crying on your shirt the last time. Do you forgive me?”

A laugh bubbled out of Tooru’s throat and Tobio turned even redder. Finally taking pity on the cold boy, he stepped to the side, “Come in. You’ll catch a cold.”

Tobio hesitated before bowing his head and stepping inside. He unlaced his boots meticulously before following Tooru into the living room like a lost duckling. The older pointed to the couch before going into the kitchen to get a warm drink. He quickly came back out and handed Tobio a cup of black tea.

“Thanks.” Tobio muttered and Tooru simply smiled in response.

“So what do you need?” Tooru asked, pulling up a leg as he rested his chin in his hand.

Tobio blinked in confusion, “Huh?”

Tooru gave a knowing look, “You didn’t come all the way here just to tell me you won, did you? How arrogant. And here I was, graciously letting you in and giving you tea.”

“No I--” Tobio said, suddenly his cheeks were red again and he hid behind the tea cup, “I uhm… I wanted to tell you before you left for Tokyo…”

Tooru stopped, and felt excitement well up in his nerves. No, that was impossible. He would get his hopes up. He kept up his playful simper and cleared his voice, “Hmph. Came to rub your win in my face before I leave? How rude.”

Tobio scrunched his nose and and furrowed his brows and he nervously reached up to tuck some hair behind his ear and rubbed the blue clip in his hair, “No that’s not it I… I just uhm… wanted to tell you that I uh…” he trailed off and pursed his lips and Tooru felt more adrenaline pump through his veins at every word. Finally, Tobio drew in a deep breath and looked up at Tooru with huge blue eyes, “I like you Oikawa-san. I know that’s probably really weird to hear but Hinata said I should tell you before you left and this was a really bad idea I’m sorry I think I read everything wrong I’m just going to--”

Tooru cut the boy off from his ramblings (which was a first) by cupping a tanned cheek, “I like you too.”

Tobio turned an endearing shade of pink up to his ears and he looked away but reflexively leaned into the warm hand cupping his now burning cheek. Tooru snickered, “You’re so cute Tobio-chan.”

“I-I’m not--”

“But I can’t believe you said that first.” the brunet went on to sigh, “You beat me at that too! Iwa-chan is gonna make fun of me now.”

Tobio then brushed Tooru’s hand away and pouted, “I-If you wanted to say it first then you shouldn’t have been such a coward!”

“A coward? I take deep offense to that. Very uncute Tobio.”

The younger held a pinched expression as he took a sip of the tea to try and distract himself from the heat that had yet to die down on his cheeks, “How ever will I get you to forgive me.”

Tooru smirked and took the cup from the boy’s hands and set it on the coffee table, “I suppose if you let me kiss you first I could.”

“Kiss?!” Tobio sputtered out, eyes wide and face once again burning up as he hid it in his hands. Tooru laughed and gently pulled at his wrists before delicately lifting the younger boy’s chin. Tobio looked up hesitantly before he puffed out a sigh, “This is embarrassing.”

“Then I won’t.” Tooru said with a fond smile.

Tobio furrowed his brows and pulled up his shoulders, “J-Just kiss me jackass!”

And so he did. Tooru laughed before cupping Tobio’s cheeks and pulling the boy into a tender kiss. It was a bit awkward but oh so sweet. Tobio forgot to tilt his head to make room for their noses but once that was out of the way it became one of the best kisses Tooru had ever had. He’d kissed girls before and a few guys. Most of them were nice and fun, a few bad, and a few horrible. But this was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. There were no fireworks, no princess diaries foot pop, no electrical buzz like how it was described in books or movies. Just a sweet and innocent press of the lips and the sudden, overwhelming feeling that this was meant to be. That this was right. Like suddenly all Tooru’s worries vanished and it was just him and Tobio and the fact that they were kissing.

After a moment, they parted and Tobio’s eyes fluttered open as he looked up at Tooru innocently. They both smiled at each other and Tooru knew that everything was going to be alright. Yeah. This was perfect.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> recommended music: Schumann's Papillons (mainly the first one) and Tchaikovsky's piano concerto no. 2 in G major op. 44  
i actually highly recommend listening to the first Papillons i've been waiting to recommend that one for this chapter specifically and i think it just perfectly embodies 'soft'


	8. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graduation, going off to college, and maybe a few "I love you"s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter for this work, i hope you enjoy :)

7) Finale (n): the last movement of a sonata, symphony, or concerto; the ending of a non-vocal classical piece which has several movements.

-

As it happened, after their initial first five dates Tooru found that they didn’t really go on a lot of them. It was more so just casually hanging out every possible day. Which essentially meant that both of them would end up at the cafe after school.

Tooru would end up at the cafe, always finding the seat closest to the piano empty while he started on work. Half an hour to forty-five minutes later Tobio would show up to practice the piano and they’d sit in relative silence as the latter played to his heart’s content. They’d talk in between songs, and Yumi, the little girl, would sometimes join them and ask Tobio to play things for her which the boy always complied. After a couple hours, Tobio would finish up and then they’d head over to one of their houses for Tooru to help Tobio not fail all of his classes.

With each passing day, Tooru found himself falling deeper and deeper into the pit of his warm and mushy feelings for the younger boy. He found that as Tobio got more comfortable, the more there was to learn about him. Like how he’d become a bit more talkative on topics that interested him like music of all sorts from classical to a new singer he found that he really liked. Or how he was a fantastic cook and liked to experiment with recipes on the weekends. And how he had designated days that he’d spend with his mom and they’d go do things like shopping together.

Respectively, the more he was let into Tobio’s life, the more he let Tobio in on his. He shared his own music selection with him and Tobio would recommend good artists based on his preferences. He would talk about his outings with his friends and share embarrassing photos of them or a new documentary he watched about anything relatively science related. Surprisingly, volleyball wasn’t a subject they talked about a lot. The extent conversations about that only went to something dumb or funny one of their teammates did and then it would stop.

A few months passed and then all too suddenly Tooru found himself graduating and standing on a stage to receive his high school diploma. The ceremony went by in a blur and Tooru vaguely registered the speeches and a few of his peers crying. After everything settled, Tooru was standing outside with his friends and his former teammates as they all laughed and revelled in the fact that they were done. Although pointedly ignoring the fact they were all parting ways once college started.

“I can’t believe an idiot like you graduated Iwa-chan.” he said and Matsukawa burst out in laughter.

Iwaizumi scowled, “You asshole I’m in class four of course I graduated.”

“Really seemed like a struggle for you.” Hanamaki said with a shit eating grin.

“You two were in lower classes than me.” the brunet said pointedly.

Matsukawa matched Hanamaki’s smile, “And yet who was the one that nearly ripped his textbook in half over his Kanji?”

Tooru laughed before gasping at the punch landed into his side, “Why are you hitting me?!”

“Because you deserve it.”

“For what?”

“For being you.”

Tooru was about to make another indignant remark when Hanamaki looked behind him and then directed that troublesome smile at him, “Hanger-san, I think you’ve got someone waiting for you.”

The brunet blinked and turned around to see none other than Tobio standing awkwardly in casual clothes and tapping his fingers on the clips in his hair. A large grin settled on his face and he walked over to pull the boy into a hug, “Awh, you came!”

“Of course, it’s your graduation.” Tobio said into the cloth of Tooru’s shirt.

“Don’t your third-years graduate today though?”

Tobio nodded, “We’re celebrating tomorrow at Suga-san’s house since it’ll be the weekend. So I thought I’d come and celebrate with you.”

Tooru felt his heart swell, “You’re so cute.”

“I’m not.” the boy said and puffed his now pink cheeks as if only to prove Tooru’s point. He shifted his weight nervously, “A-Anyways, I brought you these.”

He held out a small bouquet of flowers and Tooru took them with a grateful smile, “They’re beautiful, just like you.”

Tobio’s cheeks turned even darker and he lightly pushed Tooru’s chest, “Shut up dumbass.”

Tooru laughed before he remembered something. He grasped the second button on his shirt and snapped it off and handed it over, “There. A gift from me.”

“You’re so stupid.” Tobio said but he took the button anyways with a soft look in his eyes despite the pout.

“And you’re adorable.” Tooru replied and planted a kiss on Tobio’s round cheek.

With graduation over, school winded down even further. Only a few more tests and housekeeping things to go over. High school officially ended and break was over soon enough. Then, it was time for Tooru to go off to college. Tobio was at the train station to see him off along with his parents.

“I just can’t believe you’re so grown up already!” Tooru’s mother sobbed as his father held her, “I don’t have anymore children to take care of.”

“You can take care of Takeru.” he said, “And neesan’ll probably pop out another one so I’m sure you won’t be short on kids to take care of.”

The woman cried even harder and moved to pull him into a tight hug, “Look, I can’t even hug you properly you’re so tall. I just want you to go back to being cute and little.”

“I’m still cute.” Tooru’s father and Tobio both snorted at that. “Rude, Tobio-chan!”

“What your mother is trying to say is that we’re proud that you’ve come so far.” the man said with a hearty chuckle, “C’mon Kumiko, let’s let Tobio have a moment with him.”

The woman shook her head, curls bouncing with her sobs, “But my baby--”

“Let’s go dear.” Tooru’s father said as he pulled his wife away and gave a warm smile, “Good luck in Tokyo. Remember to call, though I’m sure she’ll call you every morning and night.”

“Yes, yes.” Tooru assured.

“Make sure you eat well and you don’t go out and party too hard and that you stay on top of your school work and you don’t overwork yourself and if something happens you call me right awa--”

Tooru’s father cut her off by pulling her away and it was just Tobio left standing there at the platform with him.

“So, are you sad that your super amazing boyfriend is leaving you?” Tooru asked playfully.

“No, I’m actually glad.” Tobio answered dully.

“Rude!”

“It just means that the times we see each other will be more special because we’ll be seeing each other less.”

Tooru stopped and blinked before tugging the boy forward into a tight hug, “You say such cute stuff my heart can’t handle this!”

“What are you talking about, idiot.” Tobio huffed as he nuzzled his face into the comforting warmth surrounding him.

They were both quiet for a second, just enjoying the feeling of each other’s hold. After a moment, Tooru sighed, “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” Tobio whispered back, “Please try to come back as much as you can. But don’t go broke because if you end up not eating properly and sucking at volleyball I’ll never forgive you.”

He lightly snorted, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I’m always better than you.”

Finally, they parted and the train pulled onto the platform. Tooru tried his best not to frown, “I guess I have to go now. Get home safe okay?”

“Okay. I hope you get to Tokyo safe.”

They stared at each other, Tooru watched those blue eyes become glassy, "Don't get all mushy on me."

Tobio wrinkled his nose and quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his long sleeved shirt, "I'm not."

Another moment of silence settled between them before they mutually attempted to break it.

“I love you.” “I love you.”

Both of them blinked. Tooru smiled and laughed, “Stupid, you were supposed to let me say that first.”

“You snooze you lose.”

“Cheeky brat.”

“Your cheeky brat.”

“Kinky.”

Tobio scowled and his face lit up with the heightened circulation in his skin, “Shut up! You’re so disgusting.”

“You love me though so it’s all good.” Tooru laughed.

A moment passed and they both leaned in for a chaste but meaningful kiss.

“Hurry up and come to Tokyo with me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t find another guy while I’m gone, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I don’t think I’ll find anyone better than you.”

Tooru smiled, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Fin.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a bit overrated but honestly i really feel like Debussy's Clair de Lune really fits, and also Rachmaninov's op. 32 no. 5 in G major  
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also i was thinking about possibly doing a little one shot series in this universe ??? maybe ? we'll see aha and if you have any suggestions or requests comment them and i'll surely take them into consideration!  
this is like the first story i've ever really finished and published so who knows lol. and i just want to say a Huge thank you to all the support i received with this fic it was honestly so amazing and kind of... enlightening ?? i feel so much more confident about sharing my intellectual work now so thank you ! it's only been a little over a week but i'm just so happy with how this turned out. i think i might write more so stick around if you'd like :)


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